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A review by knitter22
The Animals by Christian Kiefer
5.0
The bad news is that I finished The Animals; the good news is that Christian Kiefer has written another novel that I'm racing to the library to get as soon as I finish writing this.
I came across The Animals when I read the Kirkus review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/christian-kiefer/the-animals-kiefer/ I became slightly obsessed with finding the book to read right now and ended up buying an ARC on ebay. Even though I questioned my impatience at the time, the $17.99 I spent has provided me with more value than I would have thought possible. Bill Reed runs a small wildlife sanctuary in Idaho where he cares for injured animals and has remade a life for himself after making some desperate and violent mistakes in Reno. These mistakes return to derail Bill when his friend Rick is released from prison. While the reader hopes for the peaceful continuation of the shelter Bill has built, both for his wounded animals and wounded self, Kiefer tells the gripping, powerful story with exquisite language.
I honestly don't think I've ever read a novel with such a perfect combination of thoughtfulness, action, well-told story, and beautiful prose. I like to think of myself as a reader with a slightly above-average vocabulary, but Kiefer has an extraordinary vocabulary and ability to use the perfect word at the perfect time. I found myself dog-earing pages and underlining words so I could look them up. This was not disruptive, but rather added to my enjoyment of The Animals because I could picture graupel, zerk, Sphex, twayblades, tenebrous shapes, and talus. Recondite may be my new favorite self-referential word.
I picture writers practicing their craft in isolation, but Christian Kiefer's acknowledgements dispel that notion. His research, conducted with books and many, many people, is extensive and seamlessly added to this novel. Kirkus Reviews says The Animals is “Devastatingly beautiful. This novel embodies why we write and why we read,” and I can't improve upon that truth.
I came across The Animals when I read the Kirkus review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/christian-kiefer/the-animals-kiefer/ I became slightly obsessed with finding the book to read right now and ended up buying an ARC on ebay. Even though I questioned my impatience at the time, the $17.99 I spent has provided me with more value than I would have thought possible. Bill Reed runs a small wildlife sanctuary in Idaho where he cares for injured animals and has remade a life for himself after making some desperate and violent mistakes in Reno. These mistakes return to derail Bill when his friend Rick is released from prison. While the reader hopes for the peaceful continuation of the shelter Bill has built, both for his wounded animals and wounded self, Kiefer tells the gripping, powerful story with exquisite language.
I honestly don't think I've ever read a novel with such a perfect combination of thoughtfulness, action, well-told story, and beautiful prose. I like to think of myself as a reader with a slightly above-average vocabulary, but Kiefer has an extraordinary vocabulary and ability to use the perfect word at the perfect time. I found myself dog-earing pages and underlining words so I could look them up. This was not disruptive, but rather added to my enjoyment of The Animals because I could picture graupel, zerk, Sphex, twayblades, tenebrous shapes, and talus. Recondite may be my new favorite self-referential word.
I picture writers practicing their craft in isolation, but Christian Kiefer's acknowledgements dispel that notion. His research, conducted with books and many, many people, is extensive and seamlessly added to this novel. Kirkus Reviews says The Animals is “Devastatingly beautiful. This novel embodies why we write and why we read,” and I can't improve upon that truth.